Image sensors capable of sensing images in infrared light, especially short wave infrared light, are important in a wide variety of applications including optical communications (both fiber and free space), laser detecting and ranging (LADAR), ice detection (as on roads and aircraft), and pharmaceutical manufacturing. Such sensors are also used in art conservation, detection of tumors, astronomy, imaging through smoke and clouds, pollution detection, infrared microscopy, infrared spectroscopy and integrated circuit fabrication. Infrared image sensors are the heart of equipment for night vision and for three dimensional laser detection and ranging (3-D LADAR).
A typical image sensor comprises a two-dimensional array of photodetectors (called a focal plane array) in combination with a readout integrated circuit (ROIC). The photodetectors are sensitive to incoming radiation. The ROIC quantitatively evaluates the outputs from the photodetectors and processes them into an image.
Focal plane arrays (FPAs) have evolved since the 1970's from systems that required cooling to near absolute zero to systems that, depending on wavelength, can operate near room temperature. See Reference 1 in the attached list of References Cited (hereinafter [1]). This relaxation in the cooling requirements has allowed much smaller, reliable, and inexpensive systems for infrared imaging and has permitted a multitude of new applications.
The increase in operating temperature is due to the use of new materials in the detectors. Early arrays used doped silicon as the detector material (e.g. extrinsic silicon doped with a shallow level impurity such as As, In, or Ga). They relied on the ionization of the shallow level impurity by the incoming infrared photons to detect the presence of radiation. Today's photodetectors use compound semiconductor materials such as InGaAs, InSb, and HgCdTe or suicides such as PtSi. The resulting detectors can operate at much higher temperatures.
Unfortunately, the process technology for the newer detector materials is incompatible with the technology to process the silicon readout electronics. Consequently two separate chips are required to form a hybridized image sensor. The two chips are typically joined together by affixing indium bumps on the detectors and on the appropriate nodes of the readout integrated circuit (ROIC). With the indium bumps in place, the two chips are aligned and bonded together.
While the indium bump bonding process has enabled new applications at higher temperatures, the bonding process presents problems with reliability, processing, size and speed. Reliability of the bonds is a major concern. Thermal expansion mismatch, high g forces, and vibration all can cause the bonds to fail. Thermal mismatch between the detector material and the silicon ROIC is a particular problem because cooling of the image sensor is required for many applications to reduce the detector dark current. Barton [2] teaches a method employing a third substrate material to lessen the thermal mismatch problem, but the third material adds complexity and increases cost. High g forces that can cause bump bonding failures are often encountered by image sensor devices employed in space applications, and in all applications moderate vibration of the hybridized image sensor can cause individual detectors (pixels) to fail. These limitations are extremely detrimental given the harsh field environments these devices are likely to experience.
The added steps of bonding also increase cost and reduce yield. Since the detector arrays are typically illuminated from the backside, the arrays are usually very thin. Thinned arrays are difficult to handle during assembly, and this difficulty adds to the yield problems accompanying indium bump bonding.
Indium bump bonds also limit reduction in the size of individual pixels. Indium bump bonds are relatively large (approximately 10 μm diameter). The smallest pixel size of FPAs using indium bumps is about 25×25 μm2. This contrasts with the much smaller pixel size of Si image sensors (approaching 2×2 μm2). Since larger array size limits the image resolution, and larger FPA dimensions increase the size of the optics required to fully illuminate the array, bump bonding is disadvantageous in applications where camera weight and volume are critical.
Indium bump bonds further limit the speed of image sensors needed for applications such as 3-D LADAR imaging. Indium bump bonds present an additional capacitive load that slows down the detection and readout electronics. In addition, the bonds increase the power consumption and increase the pixel-to-pixel capacitance thereby increasing the array noise and complicating noise analysis [4]. Accordingly there is a need for a more easily fabricated image sensor, especially a reliable, compact sensor that can detect short wave infrared at high speed with small pixel size.